The Brand New Apps You Need to Download Before Visiting Paris

In the past, travellers had to lug a stack of maps and travel guides around with them to get across the City of Lights. But now you can literally have Paris in your pocket with these top travel apps.

Cool Cousin

Imagine if you could go to the profile of a really cool friend, simply click a button and add all their recommendations to your personal map in one go. As well as connecting users with a city resident, and providing a map and guidebook based on their tips, it has a facility for messaging the local directly for personalised advice.

You can check out and connect with their Cool Cousins in Paris for free. Who knows, you might find yourself a travel buddy who even takes you out for lunch and offers to give you a guided tour!

Notre Dame Queue-hopping App

Notre-Dame de Paris is widely considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture in the world. The views from the towers are breathtaking, but the lines are likely to be quite long.

Not only can you find out how long the line will be online before you making the decision to wait, but you can dodge it once and for all if you download the revolutionary ‘JeFile’ app availableon Google Play or the App Store.

WeChatPay Payment App

WeChatPay is the must download app for Chinese tourists shopping in Paris stores. It has recently been rolled out across two of the city’s famous department stores (Galeries Lafayette Haussmann and BHV Marais stores) and means transactions cost significantly less with the currency conversion. You can read more here.

Women-drive app

There are around 15,000 taxis in Paris, but Women Drive is a travel app exclusively for women. The new private French transport initiative promises a hassle-free trip, without the ambiguous proposals that many women fear when travelling alone.

As well as a guaranteed female driver, where women drive other women to their chosen destinations, there are also concierge and personal shopper service options, makeup kits and computer tablets on offer in the back seat.

RATP

If there’s just one travel app you need to download on this list, then of course it has to be RATP. You can use the app to plan itineraries across the RER, metro, bus, Tram and Transilien, Vélib’ and Autolib’ stations. What’s more is that it allows you to view up-to-the-minute timetables in real-time.

Rent o’Bike

At some point or another, you’ll tire of taking the metro, or squishing your way into a bus. A ride around the city on a bike is the perfect solution to soak up the fresh air and appreciate the sights.

While Velib is the most established system for renting bikes, o’Bike is the newer and cheaper solution, costing as little as 50 centimes for 30 mins. It’s also the most convenient system as the bikes can be deposited anywhere in Paris.

The Culture Trip App

Downloading The Culture Trip App is a no-brainer, giving you the best of art, food, culture, and local tips at the click of a finger. It’s very easy to use, simply choose your location and activity that can range from art and music, history and food, film and design.

Best of all, the app covers every city in the world which means that you can always be in the know, no matter where you are. Get it on iTunes and Google Play